BYU coach Kalani Sitake avoids comment on QB Jake Retzlaff's status amid transfer rumors
Retzlaff reportedly plans to enter the transfer portal rather than face a suspension for violating the honor code at the university, which is run by the Mormon church. Retzlaff acknowledged a consensual sexual relationship in his defense against the lawsuit.
'I think it'll be inappropriate for me to make a statement on his situation first,' Sitake said at Big 12 football media days. 'I think that's his right. I think it's a private matter that he can speak for himself, and I'm going to give him the opportunity to do that.'
Asked about how the team was reacting to losing the quarterback who started 13 games last season, Sitake spoke generally about competition among quarterbacks without acknowledging whether Retzlaff was still on the roster.
Assuming Retzlaff is moving on, the Cougars will have a quarterback competition in preseason workouts. Stanford transfer Bear Bachmeier and McCae Hillstead, who previously was at Utah State, are considered the frontrunners.
'I think for me it's just allowing the guys to compete in the quarterback room we have,' Sitake said. 'The fortunate part for me is I have a coaching staff that was able to keep intact. And so there's always a knowledge of the offense for the guys that are there and then we have incoming talent that I think it'd be really special for us. So let's settle it on the field, let them compete and then I only know one way and I just play the best guys. That's how it works.'
Retzlaff threw for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions as the Cougars contended for a spot in the Big 12 championship game before settling for an 11-2 finish that included an Alamo Bowl victory over Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and Colorado.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
4 minutes ago
- Reuters
Cubs riding high in NL, welcome runs-hungry Royals
July 21 - After posting a series win to begin the second half of the regular season, the Chicago Cubs take a share of the National League's best record into an interleague series with the visiting Kansas City Royals on Monday. Chicago (59-40) had its four-game winning streak snapped on Sunday in a 6-1 home setback to the Boston Red Sox but has won consecutive three-game series against a pair of potential postseason teams in the New York Yankees and Red Sox. The Milwaukee Brewers also are 59-40 to share the view from atop the NL Central. "I think this group really believes in itself and believes in all of the guys in the room," Cubs left fielder Ian Happ said. "I think you saw that just in the way we played this series. I think we really played solid, fundamental baseball the whole time, and even though the game (Sunday) got away from us a little bit, it could have been the other way around on a few swings of the bat." The Cubs will elect to throw a bullpen game on Monday and start reliever Ryan Brasier (0-0, 1.04 ERA) before presumably reaching deeper into the 'pen. Brasier has made 18 relief appearances in his first season with Chicago, striking out 14 batters and walking three in 17 1/3 innings. Of Brasier's 315 career outings, just five have come as a starter, including four with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024. Brasier has allowed one run in 6 1/3 frames for a 1.42 ERA in six career appearances against the Royals. Kansas City will begin its fifth consecutive interleague series in Chicago on Monday. The Royals have dropped four of their last six games but salvaged a series in Miami on Sunday with a 7-4 victory against the Marlins. In a disappointing year for Kansas City -- which sits 5 1/2 games out of the final American League wild-card spot -- the club's 343 runs rank last in the AL and are ahead of only the Pittsburgh Pirates' 333 in the majors. The Royals did score seven runs in two of their three games in Miami, including in their 7-4 win on Sunday. The team's saving grace has been its pitching staff, which ranks second in baseball with a 3.49 ERA. Helping boost that number is rookie Noah Cameron (3-4, 2.31), who will make his 13th start of the year on Monday. Cameron, 26, has allowed two earned runs or fewer in three straight starts. Last time out, the left-hander struck out eight batters in 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a no-decision against the New York Mets on July 13. Kansas City won 3-2. "It was a good day," Cameron said after his last start. "Obviously, when you can command the ball and they are getting bad swings on stuff and I get really good defense behind me, it was an easy day." A seventh-round pick by the Royals in 2021, Cameron will face the Cubs for the first time in his young major league career. Kansas City will look for its first series win over Chicago since sweeping the Cubs in August 2021. --Field Level Media
BBC News
4 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Tilio and Palma Celtic loan exits agreed'
Two Celtic fringe forwards are reportedly on their way to new clubs as a Rangers wide man and Heart of Midlothian midfielder are said to attract interest while Livingson are poised to sign a striker... Marco Tilio to Rapid Vienna from Celtic is a done deal, with a loan fee of £350,000 and an obligation to buy of £1.3m being triggered for the 23-year-old winger, who spent last season on loan to Melbourne City, after 20 competitive starts. (Sky Sports), externalCeltic winger Luis Palma has been seen arriving in Poland after the 25-year-old Honduras international agreed a season-long loan deal to join Lech Poznan despite interest from the Championship, Turkish Super League and Major League Soccer. (Glasgow Times), externalLuis Palma insists it was his decision to quit Celtic to join Polish club Lech Poznan and he could even be handed his debut in their Champions League qualifier against Iceland's Breidablik on Tuesday. (Scottish Sun), externalRoyal Antwerp head coach Stef Wils admits it is "possible" that 24-year-old winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha will leave the club soon amid interest from Celtic. (Daily Record), externalAris Limassol, who already have former Ibrox teammates Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun on their books, are keen on Rangers winger Ross McCausland, but the 22-year-old Northern Ireland international also has interest from two Major League Soccer clubs and England. (Scott Burns on X), externalRangers have been told by Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Zarko Lazetic it would take a "fairytale offer" of more than £4m to sign 21-year-old forward Dor Turgeman this summer. (Sport1), externalTwente technical director Jan Streuer says 31-year-old former captain Robin Propper wanted to wait to see if he plays more under new Rangers head coach Russell Martin before committing to a return to the Dutch club, who have to decide whether they can afford to wait or look at other central defence targets. (Volkskrant), externalHeart of Midlothian's 21-year-old midfielder, Aidan Denholm, is wanted by Livingston, Motherwell and Ross County. (Joel Sked on X), externalLivingston are set to announce the signing of Jeremy Bokila after securing a work permit for the 36-year-old DR Congo striker from Willem II, who were relegated from the Dutch top flight last season. (Sky Sports), externalSimo Valakari says striker Uche Ikpeazu faces an uncertain future at St Johnstone, despite being under contract until next summer and scoring Saturday's winning goal, as the relegated club's manager does not know if the 30-year-old "will be with us" by the end of the transfer window. (The Courier), external
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump calls out high-profile senator who's in 'BIG TROUBLE' for plotting an 'American tragedy' - and demands he be locked up
Donald Trump has demanded a high profile Democrat be sent to prison in the latest escalation in their long-running feud. California Senator Adam Schiff is at the center of a Justice Department investigation for a 'sustained pattern of possible mortgage fraud' involving misrepresenting which home he used as his primary residence, Trump said. 'Adam 'Shifty' Schiff is in BIG TROUBLE,' Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday night. 'He falsified loan documents.' Trump also went on to slam Schiff for orchestrating an 'American Tragedy' by investigating his son Donald Trump Jr.'s phone records in 2019 amid concerns about the origin of a meeting with Russians held in Trump Tower three years prior. 'He once said my son would go to prison on a SCAM that Schiff, along with other Crooked Dems, illegally 'manufactured' in order to stage an actual coup,' Trump wrote. 'My son did nothing wrong, knew nothing about the fictional story. It was an American Tragedy! 'Now Shifty should pay the price of prison for a real crime, not one made up by the corrupt accusers!' Schiff had threatened to subpoena Don Jr. to glean new details about two phone calls he made to blocked numbers after meeting with a Russian lawyer. At the time, Trump was under investigation for potentially colluding with the Kremlin. He also led the charge to impeach Trump in his role as chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Trump's latest round of attacks on Schiff are yet another example of the president seeking out anyone who has crossed him over the years. This includes New York Attorney General Letitia James who has found herself at the center of a DOJ investigation into her real estate transactions after bringing multiple cases against Trump. James has launched lawsuits against the president during both terms, including for alleged fraud. Since January 20 she has filed at least 15 actions. The Post reports that subpoenas were issued in Virginia concerning a mortgage application in which she affirmed that she intended to make a Norfolk home her primary residence. The outlet said it obtained records which showed the AG's signature granting a power of attorney to her niece to execute the purchase. 'This investigation into me is nothing more than retribution. It's baseless,' James said of the probe. Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan told the publication it was 'awfully coincidental' that Trump's critics have been subjected to home loan investigations. 'You don't get a free pass because you're a public official,' McQuade said. 'But I think they've really undermined the credibility of the department by staking out this ground seeking retribution against Trump's enemies.' Trump said he wanted to see Schiff 'brought to justice' through the investigation into his finances. But Schiff maintained his innocence and argued he was being persecuted by the Trump administration as political retribution for his involvement in opposing the family over the years. 'This is just Donald Trump's latest attempt at political retaliation against his perceived enemies,' Schiff wrote on X. 'So it is not a surprise, only how weak this false allegation turns out to be.' A spokesperson for his office insisted the lenders for both of his homes - one in Washington and another in California - were aware that he intended to use both year-round while serving in public office. He maintained neither home is considered a 'vacation' property. Appointing one home as a primary residence can allow a borrower to secure lower rates, because it is considered a less risky investment. Schiff took aim at the president during an appearance on Stephen Colbert's show telling him to 'p**s off '. 'But before you p**s off, would you release the Epstein files?' Schiff asked, to rapturous applause. It is unclear how Trump became aware of Schiff's mortgages, or what involvement he has played in the investigation so far. According to The Washington Post, a confidential memo within Fannie Mae, the lender responsible for the questionable loans, said an investigation has been ongoing amid concerns Schiff 'engaged in a sustained pattern of possible occupancy misrepresentation on 5 Fannie Mae loans'. The internal memo states the company's financial crimes team received a document demand from the Federal Housing Finance Agency on May 12 relating to loan files. It states that a condo in Burbank, California, has at times been listed as a 'primary residence' before adding, 'however the 691 square foot, 1-bedroom unit appears unsuitable for a family of four, raising doubts about their true occupancy intent.' Each of the loans involved have since been paid off in full.
